Measurements for profiles of aerosol extinction coefficient,backscatter coefficient,and lidar ratio over Wuhan in China with Raman/Mie lidar

<正>The profiles of aerosol extinction,backscatter coefficient,and lidar ratio in the lower troposphere over Wuhan are measured by a multi-channel Raman/Mie lidar.Using the lidar ratio retrieved by Raman scattering principle,the profiles of aerosol extinction and backscatter coefficients are also retrieved by Mie scattering signals,without a prior assumption about their relation in the traditional pure Mie signals data analyses.The observations by both Raman and Mie are in good agreement with each other.The high coherence shows that the system is reliable,and the Mie and Raman channels are in good adjustment and have the same field of view.     

Effective lidar ratios of dense dust layers over North Africa derived from the CALIOP measurements

Lidar ratio (i.e., extinction-to-backscatter ratio) is a key parameter required for retrieving extinction profiles and optical depths from elastic backscatter lidar measurements, and the quality of any extinction retrieval depends critically on the accuracy of the assumed or measured lidar ratio. In this study, we analyze the first two and a half years of the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) data acquired during nighttime. Distributions of the effective lidar ratio (ELR), which is the product of the lidar ratio and an instrument-dependent multiple scattering factor, are derived for opaque dust layers observed by CALIOP over the North Africa. The median and mean ELR values are, respectively, 36.4 and 38.5 sr at 532 nm and 47.7 and 50.3 sr at 1064 nm. For these opaque dust layers, the derived ELR decreases as the volume depolarization ratio (VDR) increases, reflecting the impact of multiple scattering within the dense layers. The particulate depolarization ratio is typically ∼0.3 at 532 nm for African dust observed by CALIOP. This ratio can increase to ∼0.4 in the presence of significant multiple scattering. Correspondingly, the calculated ELR will decrease to ∼20 sr at 532 nm and to ∼30 sr at 1064 nm. The median and mean effective lidar ratio values approach, respectively, to 38 and 40 sr at 532 nm and 52 and 55 sr at 1064 nm for smaller VDR values measured in less dense layers where the multiple scattering is relatively insignificant. These values are very close to those derived in previous case studies for moderately dense dust. Case studies are also performed to examine the impacts of multiple scattering. The results obtained are generally consistent with Monte-Carlo simulations.     

A comparison method for spaceborne and ground-based lidar and its application to the CALIPSO lidar

A method is proposed to aid in the comparison of spaceborne lidar measurements with ground-based lidar measurements. The downward attenuated backscatter is constructed from ground-based lidar data, and then compared to the attenuated backscatter measured by spaceborne lidar. To test the accuracy of the method, sensitivity analysis is performed. This method is applied to compare the measurements between the CALIPSO lidar and ground-based lidar at Hampton University. The comparison results show this method is a feasible and reasonable approach for spaceborne lidar validation. Moreover, it can help to retrieve aerosol optical properties.     

Algorithms to retrieve optical properties of three component aerosols from two-wavelength backscatter and one-wavelength polarization lidar measurements considering nonsphericity of dust

We developed backward and forward types of algorithms for estimating the vertical profiles of extinction coefficients at 532 nm for three component aerosols (water-soluble, dust, and sea salt) using three-channel Mie-scattering lidar data of the backscatter (β) at 532 and 1064 nm and the depolarization ratio (δ) at 532 nm. While the water-soluble and sea-salt particles were reasonably assumed to be spherical, the dust particles were treated as randomly oriented spheroids to account for their nonsphericity. The introduction of spheroid models enabled us to more effectively use the three-channel data (i.e., 2β+1δ data) and to reduce the uncertainties caused by the assumption of spherical dust particles in our previously developed algorithms. We also performed an extensive sensitivity study to estimate retrieval errors, which showed that the errors in the extinction coefficient for each aerosol component were smaller than 30% (60%) for the backward (forward) algorithm when the measurement errors were ±5%. We demonstrated the ability of the algorithms to partition aerosol layers consisting of three aerosol components by applying them to shipborne lidar data. Comparisons with sky radiometer measurements revealed that the retrieved optical thickness and angstrom exponent of aerosols using the algorithms developed in this paper agreed well with the sky radiometer measurements (within 6%).     

An iterative calculation to derive extinction-to-backscatter ratio based on lidar measurements

The aerosol optical thickness (AOT) is an important parameter for understanding the radiative impact of aerosols. AOT based on lidar measurements is often limited by its finite detection range. In this paper, we have reported a method of fitting and iterative calculation to derive the extinction profile of background aerosols from 0 to 30 km at 532 nm, which is virtually the AOT of the entire atmosphere. The mean extinction derived from this method at the ground level tallies with visibility measurement and it is also consistent with the sun-photometer data, within experimental error. These data have been further treated to study the dust cases. For most of the cases, transmission losses were determined to estimate the extinction as well as lidar ratio. The result of the analysis shows that for background aerosols, a mean lidar ratio of 47±15 sr was found. For dust layers, a mean lidar ratio of 44±19 sr and an optical thickness of 0.53±0.49 were determined at 532 nm.     

Comparison of CALIPSO and ground-based lidar profiles over Chung-Li, Taiwan

We report the first inter-comparison of vertical profiles of aerosols and clouds derived from space (CALIPSO) and ground based lidar over Chung-Li, Taiwan. Results show that inter-comparison is closer in case of aerosols than clouds. The strength/shortcoming of the comparison has been also discussed. An iterative calculation to retrieve extinction-to-backscatter ratio (lidar ratio) by using sun-photometer and CALIPSO data is also documented. By using the mentioned method, a mean lidar ratio of 23.5±8.2 sr was found. The derived lidar ratios are lower than former studies. The possible reasons for the difference have been discussed in this paper. The discussed methodology will be helpful to reduce the uncertainty of optical parameters derived from lidar data especially near the surface where the atmosphere is inhomogeneous.     

First-time lidar measurement of water vapor flux in a volcanic plume

The CO₂ laser-based lidar ATLAS has been used to study the Stromboli volcano plume. ATLAS measured water vapor concentration in cross-sections of the plume and wind speed at the crater. Water vapor concentration and wind speed were retrieved by differential absorption lidar and correlation technique, respectively. Lidar returns were obtained up to a range of 3 km. The spatial resolution was 15 m and the temporal resolution was 20 s. By combining these measurements, the water vapor flux in the Stromboli volcano plume was found. To our knowledge, it is the first time that lidar retrieves water vapor concentrations in a volcanic plume.     

A detection of atmospheric relative humidity profile by UV Raman lidar

A new spectroscopic filter constructed with a high-spectral-resolution grating and two narrow-band mirrors is designed to separate the elastic scattering and the vibrational Raman scattering spectra in an ultraviolet (UV) Raman lidar system. The density of humidity and water vapor mixing ratio are calculated from the vibrational Raman scattering signals of N₂ and H₂O. Water vapor mixing ratio is retrieved from this development. With this measured water vapor mixing ratio, the relative humidity is calculated with atmospheric temperature profile obtained by another Raman temperature lidar. Preliminary experiments and comparison results between lidar and radiosonde showed that the UV Raman lidar system has the capability for profiling the water vapor mixing ratio up to a height of 2 km with less than 10% of the uncertainty under the conditions of laser energy of 300 mJ and signal-averaging time of 10 min.     

Measurements of cirrus clouds with a three-wavelength lidar

A three-wavelength lidar system is set up. The backscatter signals of 355, 532, and 1 064 nm are mea- sured simultaneously to derive the optical depth, lidar ratio, and backscatter color ratio of cirrus clouds, respectively. The lidar configuration and the data processing are described. The case study shows that the optical depths of cirrus clouds are not dependent on wavelength while the backscatter color ratios are.     

Intercomparison of ozone profiles measurements by a differential absorption lidar system and satellite instruments at Buenos Aires, Argentina

A ground-based DIfferential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) system has been implemented at CEILAP (CITEFA-CONICET) laboratory (34°33′S, 58°30′W), located in the Buenos Aires industrial suburbs. The goal is to perform measurements of the stratospheric ozone layer. Systematic measurements of ozone concentration profiles from 18 to 35 km altitude are performed since early 1999. Our measurements are carried out in 5 h in average during the night and in cloudless conditions. The DIAL system allows us to calculate directly the ozone profile from the lidar backscattering radiation since it is a self-calibrating technique. The signal processing takes into account the influence of the temperature profile on the ozone cross section. The temperature data are obtained from the radiosondes measurements performed at Ezeiza International Airport (34°30′S, 58°18′W), 27 km from DIAL station. The evolution of the stratospheric ozone profile is studied for different months. Results are compared with the data obtained by different satellites SAGE II, HALOE and GOME. The comparisons between our DIAL system and the satellite measurements show an agreement better than 20% for 20–35 km altitude range.     

Identification of aerosol species using polarization lidar

This paper presents a new approach that has been developed to identify individual aerosol species using polarization lidar measurements. Individual aerosols can be identified based on their distinct ratios of extinction to backscatter, which are related to the depolarization ratio profile. Aerosol backscatter coefficients can be obtained from these ratios. Differential aerosol backscatter coefficients are proportional to the variation of the ratio of extinction to backscatter coefficient, and the coefficients increase, reach a peak value, and then decrease again, with increasing range.     

An algorithm to determine cirrus properties from analysis of multiple-scattering influence on lidar signals

A Monte Carlo-based evaluation of the multiple-scattering influence on ground-based Raman lidar measurements is presented. The lidar returns from cirrus clouds are analyzed in order to evaluate vertical profiles of the extinction and backscattering coefficients. Results show that for the typical cirrus cloud, the presence of the multiple scattering can lead to an underestimation of the extinction coefficient by as large as 200% whereas the backscattering coefficient is almost unaffected for the Raman lidar technique. An algorithm to select one or a set of phase functions which fit to the lidar data is also presented. It is an iterative procedure based on Monte Carlo scattering simulation. By comparison of the experimental value of the lidar ratio, corrected for the multiple scattering influence, and the phase function used in the Monte Carlo simulation, one can determine a suitable phase function. The validity and sensitivity of the algorithm have been demonstrated by applying it to simulated cases. The application to some real cases indicates that our procedure allows for the establishing of a practical scattering model for the cirrus clouds.     

水汽探测拉曼激光雷达的新型光谱分光系统设计与分析

提出并设计了一套新型的大气水汽和气溶胶探测用紫外域拉曼激光雷达系统, 以二向色镜和超窄带滤光片构成高效率拉曼光谱分光系统, 实现激光雷达大气回波信号中米-瑞利散射信号、 氮气和水汽的振动拉曼散射信号的精细分离和高效率提取. 利用美国标准大气的分子散射模型和实测的大气米散射信号模型, 对分光系统的米-瑞利散射信号的抑制率、大气水汽测量的信噪比和误差进行数值仿真设计. 搭建实验系统对西安地区夜间的大气水汽进行实验观测, 并利用有云天气下实测的激光雷达回波信号, 反演获得大气后向散射比和水汽混合比的相关特性, 验证了该拉曼光谱分光系统对米-瑞利信号的抑制率达到10^-7以上量级. 理论和实验结果表明, 设计的新型拉曼光谱分光系统可以在大气后向散射比为17时, 实现水汽探测误差小于15%, 满足拉曼激光雷达系统对大气水汽的高效率探测. 关键词： 拉曼激光雷达 水汽混合比 大气后向散射比     

A pure rotational Raman lidar using double-grating monochromator for temperature profile detection

A pure rotational Raman lidar is constructed for measurements of vertical temperature profiles of atmosphere. A fiber-coupled, double-grating monochromator is used as the filter system so that a high spectral resolution of <0.23 nm and an out-of-band rejection rate of 10⁷ are achieved. Comparison with in-situ measurements indicates that the accuracy of atmospheric temperature measurements using this lidar system is better than 1.1 K up to an altitude of 10 km. Different effects on signal accuracy resulting from various noise sources are analyzed and uncertainties in temperature due to detection noises are estimated.     

Transmittance ratio constrained retrieval technique for lidar cirrus measurements

This letter describes a lidar retrieval technique that uses the transmittance ratio as a constraint to determine an average lidar ratio as well as extinction and backscatter coefficients of transparent cirrus clouds. The cloud transmittance ratio is directly obtained from two adjacent elastic lidar backscatter signals. The technique can be applied to cirrus measurements where neither the molecular scattering dominant signals above and below the cloud layer are found nor cloudfree reference profiles are available. The technique has been tested with simulated lidar signals and applied to backscatter lidar measurements at Hampton University, Hampton, Virginia.     

一种便携式激光测云仪的云底高度反演方法

 报道了新研制的一种便携式激光测云仪,该设备由光学、电子和机械三部分组成,采用单片机处理回波信号、识别云底高度,并给出了该激光测云仪的相关参数。将回波斜率突增点作为云底定义点,利用云回波在上升斜率、脉冲宽度和幅度上与大气回波及噪声脉冲间的差异,识别反演出云底高度。另外,同一位置连续测量数次,可以剔除干扰噪声。与计数式激光测云仪进行了实测比较,数据基本吻合。结果表明：便携仪的云高识别算法基本合理、可行,便携仪中所采用的剔除大气回波伪信号算法能提高系统的测低云性能,智能识别算法能滤除干扰噪声。最后,需要对算法进行进一步的优化。     

CALIPSO validation using ground-based lidar in Hefei (31.9°N, 117.2°E), China

Validation measurement in collaboration with existing lidar sites is a very important part of CALIPSO validation program, lidar site in Hefei is invited to collaborate in the CALIPSO validation program. In this paper, ground-based lidar measurements in Hefei performed in coincidence with CALIPSO overpass are presented, attenuated backscatter profiles at 532 nm and 1064 nm, as well as volume depolarization ratio profile at 532 nm measured by CALIPSO are compared with the ones measured by ground-based lidar. The comparisons indicate that CALIPSO measurements are consistent with the ground-based lidar measurements. However, due to the fact that horizontal distributions of aerosols in the lower troposphere and clouds are in most cases inhomogeneous, there are some differences between two lidar measurements in the boundary layer and clouds. The aerosol layer below the semi-transparent thick cloud can be detected by the 532 nm channel of CALIPSO in daytime.     

Combined raman elastic-backscatter LIDAR for vertical profiling of moisture,aerosol extinction,backscatter, and LIDAR ratio

A combined Raman elastic-backscatter lidar has been developed. A XeCl excimer laser is used as the radiation source. Inelastic Raman backscatter signals are spectrally separated from the elastic signal with a filter or grating polychromator. Raman channels can be chosen to register signals from CO₂, O₂, N₂, and H₂O. Algorithms for the calculation of the water-vapor mixing ratio from the Raman signals and the particle extinction and backscatter coefficients from both elastic and inelastic backscatter signals are given. Nighttime measurements of the vertical humidity distribution up to the tropopause and of particle extinction, backscatter, and lidar ratio profiles in the boundary layer, in high-altitude water and ice clouds, and in the stratospheric aerosol layer are presented. Daytime boundary-layer measurements of moisture and particle extinction are made possible by the improved daylight suppression of the grating polychromator. Test measurements of the CO₂ mixing ratio indicate the problems for the Raman lidar technique in monitoring other trace gases than water vapor.     

High-spectral-resolution rayleigh-mie lidar measurement of vertical aerosol and atmospheric profiles

A new two-channel ground-based high-spectral-resolution Rayleigh-Mie lidar and its operation is described. Upon the inversion of data collected during the night of August 14–15, 1990, with this unique lidar system (553.7 nm), vertical profiles of atmospheric parameters including temperature, potential temperature, pressure and density, as well as aerosol parameters including backscatter-ratio, extinction coefficient and backscatter phase function are determined.